Agriculture, Food and Regional Queensland
LNP Shadow Minister for Agriculture Andrew Cripps said the agriculture industry had widely applauded and welcomed the CanDo agriculture policies released during the election campaign.
"Growing Queensland's Agriculture sector is a major part of the LNP's plan to build a stronger four pillar economy, alongside Tourism, Construction and Resources," Mr Cripps said.
Anna Bligh forgot about the real world during her visit to western Queensland this week – ignoring the need for urgent repairs to the Darr River rail bridge between Winton and Longreach.
LNP Shadow Minister for Agriculture, Food and Regional Queensland Andrew Cripps said the rail bridge was critical to western and northern Queensland and beyond for transporting more than 3000 head of cattle a week to southern markets and meatworks.
Bligh Labor's promised 'one-stop shop' for compliance issues for farmers would be more honestly called Labor's 'one-stop shop for added cost', the LNP said today.
Shadow Minister for Agriculture, Food and Regional Queensland Andrew Cripps said no government had done more to burden farmers with costly red-tape and ridiculous compliance procedures than the tired, 20-year Labor government.
The future of one of the centrepieces of the Bligh Labor government's election platform for agriculture was hanging in the balance following the withdrawal from the Major Stakeholder Reference Group of the Flinders River Agricultural Precinct by the Mayor of Richmond Shire, Councillor John Wharton.
LNP Shadow Agriculture Minister, Andrew Cripps, said the refusal by Cr Wharton and the Richmond Shire Council to join the reference group was a vote of no confidence in the Gillard Labor Government's proposal to undertake yet another study into irrigated agriculture in north west Queensland.
Bligh Labor's vision for Queensland agriculture was a mirage with less than $6 million in new money promised by Anna Bligh in her election pitch to farmers released late today.
LNP Shadow Minister for Agriculture Andrew Cripps said Anna Bligh's policy document released yesterday was an disgrace and showed the tired, 20-year Labor government's absolute contempt for a sector that contributed near $19 billion to the state's economy in 2011/12.
Bligh Labor's support for a plan for a meatworks at Cloncurry was welcome but years overdue and more about marginal seat electioneering than genuine support for cattle processing diversity, the LNP said today.
LNP Shadow Minister for Agriculture said Labor's announcement this morning of its support for the development of a northern abattoir was just that – support for a plan.
LNP Shadow Minister for Agriculture, Food and Regional Queensland Andrew Cripps has called on the Bligh government to guarantee that five stock inspectors leaving the service would be replaced.
"I understand five stock inspectors will be leaving and we need to ensure they are replaced," Mr Cripps said.
Yesterday's announcement by the Bligh Government in Richmond of a North Queensland Irrigated Agriculture Strategy showed Labor had fallen into line behind the LNP's ambitious goal to increase agricultural production in Queensland.
LNP Shadow Minister for Agriculture, Food and Regional Queensland, Andrew Cripps, said the LNP had released its Strategic Plan for Agriculture in September that included a goal to double agricultural production in Queensland by 2040.
The LNP has called for strong leadership to deal with Indonesia's decision to slash live cattle shipments from Australia by more than 40 per cent.
LNP Shadow Minister for Agriculture, Food and Regional Queensland Andrew Cripps said the latest development by Indonesian authorities to slash imports by more than 220,000 head next year underlined the fragility of the trade and the impact on north Queensland.
In what's shaping as another massive quarantine failure Fire Ants have been found at Roma on the western Darling Downs in mining gear shipped from Texas, the LNP said today.
LNP Shadow Minister for Agriculture, Food and Regional Queensland Andrew Cripps said the find, in the same week State and Federal Labor dumped the fight to contain Asian bees, proved Labor's handling of quarantine and biosecurity was a disaster.